Slide fastener construction



Feb. 14, 1961 B. LINDSEY sums: FASTENER CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 19, 1958FIG.

INVENTOR BOYD LINDSEY..

SLIDE FASTENER CONSTRUCTION Boyd Lindsey, Yuma Cleaners, Yuma, Colo.

Filed Feb. 19, 1958, Ser. No. 716,184

1 Claim. (Cl. 2265) This invention relates to slide or separablefasteners of the type generally referred to as zippers, and inparticular a main fastener positioned between auxiliary fastenerswhereby with the main fastener becoming inoperative due to wear or forother reasons the unit is detached by the auxiliary fasteners andreadily replaced by a similar unit that is operative.

The purpose of this invention is to obviate the necessity of discardinggarments because fasteners thereon become inoperative.

Many valuable garments are discarded because slide or separable fastenerelements thereof are inoperative, whereas if the fasteners could bereadily repaired or replaced such garments could be used for much longerperiods. With the present construction of such fasteners it is verydimcult, if not impossible, for an amateur to remove and replace thestringers, and for this reason it is necessary to take garments and thelike with inoperative fasteners to shops equipped to perform thisservice. Consequently, garments with inoperative fasteners are putaside, and, in numerous instances, outgrown.

With this thought in mind this invention contemplates a separablefastener unit wherein the main fastener is positioned between auxiliaryfasteners wherein the main fastener with one stringer of each of theauxiliary fasteners may be removed, discarded, and replaced with anoperative or new fastener.

The object of this invention is, therefore, to provide means for readilyremoving and replacing an inoperative separable fastener.

Another object of the invention is to provide a separable fastener unitthat may be distributed and sold inde pendently, and that may beinstalled in place of an inoperative fastener by the average layman.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a replaceableseparable fastener unit that is designed to be installed in garments andthe like now in use.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a removable andreplaceable separable fastener unit for garments and the like that ishidden in use.

A further object of the invention is to provide a separable fastenerunit for use in garments, footwear, tent shelters, equipment and vehiclecovers, and the like, in which the unit is installed as the garment ordevice is manufactured.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a separable orslide fastener unit wherein separable fasteners are removable andreplaceable in which the fastener units are of simple and economicalconstruction.

With these and other objects and advantages in view the inventionembodies a separable fastener unit ineluding a main fastener with anauxiliary fastener spaced from each side in which one stringer of eachauxiliary fastener is secured to an edge of a garment or the like at thesides of an opening therein and in which the other stringer of eachauxiliary fastener is removable with the main fastener, so that a newmain fastener with stringers of auxiliary fasteners corresponding to thenited States Patent stringers of the garment may readily be inserted inthe garment or the like.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from thefollowing description taken in connection with the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view showing a separable fastener assembly having aremovable and replaceable center portion illustrating an embodimentwherein the fastener is uncovered or exposed, and with parts brokenaway;

Figure 2 is a view showing the receiving fastener assembly installed ina garment in which the fastener is hidden by flaps of the garment, partsof which are broken away;

Figure 3 is a cross section through the improved separable fastenerassembly taken on line 33 of Figure 1 also with the fastener exposed;

Figure 4 is a view showing the upper end of the separable fastenerassembly with the assembly installed in a garment, and with the partsshown on an enlarged scale, parts of the garment for covering thefastener being held back for the purpose of illustration;

Figure 5 is a cross section through the sliding clasp fastener assembly;and

Figure 6 is a cross section through the sliding clasp fastener assemblyincluding the garment.

While one embodiment is illustrated in the abovereferred-to drawings, itis to be understood that they are merely for the purpose ofillustration, and that various changes in construction may be resortedtoin the course of manufacture in order that the invention 'may beutilized to the best advantage according to circumstances which mayarise, without in any manner departing from the spirit and intention ofthe device, which is to be limited only in accordance with the appendedclaim. And While there is stated the primary field of utility of theinvention, it remains obvious that it may be employed in any othercapacity wherein it may be found applicable.

In the accompanying drawings, and in the following specification, thesame reference characters are used to designate the same parts andelements throughout, and in which the numeral Ill refers to theinvention in its entirety, numeral 12 indicating a main separable orsliding clasp fastener including a slider 14 designed to travel onmeshing or interlocking elements 16 and 18 that are clamped on fabricstrips 20 and 22, to the outer edges of which stringers 24 and 26 ofauxiliary fasteners 28 and 30 are secured, and outer stringers 32 and 34of the auxiliary fasteners are secured to parts 40 and 42 of a garment44.

The meshing elements of the stringers are made of metal, plastic, orother suitable material, and these elements are secured by crimping orclamping to fabric strips of the stringers. The fabric strips of thestringers are secured to parts of garments or other objects or devices,or to backing strips by stitching or the like.

The auxiliary fasteners 28 and 30 are provided with sliders 46 and 48,as shown in Figure 4.

The stringers of the main fastener 12, which include the meshingelements 16 and 18, and the fabric strips 20 and 22, with the slider 14provide means for opening and closing the garment, or the like, and theauxiliary fasteners 28 and 30 are only used when it is desired to removeand replace the fastener 12. The lower end of one of the stringers ofthe fastener 12 is provided with a conventional socket and the lower endof the other stringer is provided with a prong designed to be insertedin the socket through the slider. With the parts in the closedpositions, as shown in Figure}, the socket at the lower end of theelement 16 is indicated by the numeral 50, and the prong at the lowerend of the element 18 is indicated by the numeral 52. The fastener 28 isalso provided with a socket 54 that receives a prong similar to theprong 52, and the fastener 30 is provided with a socket 56 in which aprong 58 is positioned.

With the parts assembled as shown and described the stringers 32 and 34of the auxiliary fasteners are attached, such as by stitching, to theedges of a garment or the like, at the sides of an opening, asillustrated in Figure 2 wherein the strips 32 and 34 are stitched to thesections 40 and 42 of the garment, and the main fastener 12 is used toopen and close the garment or device. However, should the main fastener12 become inoperative, due to Wear or objects being caught in thefastener the sliders of the fasteners 28 and 30 are actuated and themain fastener assembly is removed. The fastener may be repaired, orreplaced by a new fastener, as may be desired.

From the foregoing specification, it will become apparent that theinvention disclosed will adequately accomplish the functions for whichit has been designed and in an economical manner, and that itssimplicity, accuracy, and ease of operation are such as to provide arelatively inexpensive device, considering What it will accomplish, andthat it will find an important place in the art to which it appertains'when once placed on the market.

It is thought that persons skilled in the art to which the inventionrelates will be able to obtain a clear understanding of the inventionafter considering the description in connection with the drawings.Therefore, a more lengthy description is regarded as unnecessary.

Changes in shape, size, and rearrangement of details and parts such ascome within the purview of the invention claimed may be resorted to inactual practice, if desired.

Having now described the invention that which is claimed to be new anddesired to be procured by Letters Patent, is:

In a sliding clasp fastener assembly, the combination which comprisesspaced interlocking elements of a conventional sliding clasp fastener,fabric strips upon inner edges of Which the interlocking elements aresecured, a slider mounted to travel on said interlocking elements forengaging and disengaging said elements, stringers, inner edges of whichare secured to the fabric strips, spaced elements of sliding claspfasteners secured to outer edges of the stringers, spaced interlockingelements of sliding clasp fasteners positioned in meshing relation withthe spaced elements of the stringers, outer stringers on which thespaced interlocking elements of the sliding clasp fasteners are secured,sliders on the spaced interlocking elements of thestringers, and-agarment having an elongated opening therein, outer edges of said outerstringers being secured to the inner surface of the garment at pointsspaced from edges of the garment at sides of the opening whereby edgesof the garment at. sides of the opening overlap.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,603,144 Nichols Oct. 12, 1926 2,255,183 Ostwald Sept. 9, 19412,354,485 Slaughter July 25, 1944 2,746,114 Williams May 22, 1956FOREIGN PATENTS 63,760 Norway July 28, 1941 498,984 Great Britain Jan.17, 1939 600,006 Great Britain Mar. 30, 1948 1,068,380 France June 24,1954

